TEST DRIVE #1 - Ten Forward

[tenforward_m]

You know how you were standing there, back in your home world, just minding your own business?

Time to forget all about that.

Instead of doing whatever the heck you were just doing, you're standing in the middle of this very stylish, sedate barroom. Happily, you're not alone there - in fact you're surrounded by people who seem to be as confused as you are...and some of them look a little, well unusual

Now would be a great time to do....well, something. Ask some questions of the person nearest you, throw a fit, stage a coup....maybe do a little exploring? No matter what you do, you're going to be here for a very long time.

For others might call it the USS Enterprise, but for the foreseeable future, you'll be calling it home.

[OOC: this test drive's open until the next app period.]

Comments

[abyssum_invocat]

"I don't go to school," she says, choosing to wait on convincing him that his is not a French accent. It will most likely take a long while, she thinks. Especially given his reaction to her in general.

Her coolness over war is really her only choice; she's not known anything outside of growing up under a megalomaniacal father who unfortunately shares some obsessions with their current political leader. Getting obviously upset over her situation could very easily mean consequences she doesn't have the ability to withstand.

"Will you tell me why we're here? Do you know?"

[i_candozat]

"I am ze nawigator aboard her," he says distractedly, taking in Geordi's rather...different eyewear. Pavel has never seen the likes of that.

"Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreievich," he introduces, and holds out a hand. "...Or at least I am on my Enterprise."

[bet_on_the_river]

"I'm looking for a girl."

That might sound bad.

"A particular girl. Sixteen years old, dark hair, blue eyes. Probably popped in here looking confused--have you seen her?"

[bet_on_the_river]

"I'm not lost. My girl is."

Well, and so is he, but that's a fact he's come to live with. He's always been.

"She disappeared, and... she shouldn't be on her own. She gets scared."

Mostly when she's outside under the open sky, but... would you look at those windows? She spent all that time working on getting used to the sky, and there's nothing but stars. This isn't right.

[splendid_roman]

"Ian Chesterton." He shook John's hand. "I can understand that feeling." He chuckled. "I can't say I've been on Earth for a while either." Not in the present, anyway, but he was starting to think John might believe his story.

[splendid_roman]

He had a sip of the drink and was surprised. "That's good," he said, putting the glass back on the bar. For some reason he hadn't expected anything on a spaceship to taste good. It was a spaceship after all.

He dug a hand in his pocket and came up with a handful of loose change and a couple of pound notes. "I'm not sure I have the right currency." He looked worried, thinking that they probably didn't take 1960s money on a spaceship.

[bobbyprentice]

Bobby breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Commander LaForge appear at the door of the bar. Bobby's just a junior officer in Engineering, and as such doesn't have much contact with him - but he looks up to the man. He gets up from his seat and pushes through the crowd to get to LaForge.

"Sir," he says urgently. "Sir, something very strange is going on."

[from_the_outside]

"Looks like it --"

Her finger lifts slightly in surprise, but she doesn't back away, just studies the screen with narrowing eyes. "Well, that's handy. Maybe we can find some directions here." Her mouth purses, twists thoughtfully. "Schematics would be handy."

[queenofmay]

Caspian's word sounds about as believing of itself as her question did before it. Leaving a preponderance of blackness and possible stars, and an endless crowd of people, none of whom all matched at it's feet. But there is a thought to both of his suggestions still settling.

Because if it was, or there were, the first thing to really settle from her mind to her merit was as follows;

"Serenity's hold was not even as big as this room."

It would have to be a very big ship. Something that should have seemed inconceivable. Bigger than his new one. Bigger than Jack's, and Mal's. A bigger everything outside of here, and whatever here was. But impossible was not so much an impossible word or idea after these years, and so maybe it's not surprising at all that she settles her shoulders and walks towards the window through the crowd, toward the darkness and the light.

[queenofmay]

Not as much as fears many there might take, but there is something sweet and acknowledging to the way she tips her head. It's definitely new, and unexpected. But it has a handful of blessings to it already, that she appreciates. "I'd say."

Though, she can add, without any need for lead. "But where exactly is here?"

[queenofmay]

"Yes, please." comes with some relish, and even something like a surprised into far more real pleasant smile. "Thank you." This place did know how to have some touches that at least did a heart good. Even if the smile lingered, as she shook her head. "And no. Or-"

Marian wrinkled her nose slightly. "-not exactly like this. The just appearing has only happened once to me."

To her, and her father's horse that very first time. When she leaped a hedge right into a fey-witch and a bar at the end of the universe, and thought quite rightly that perhaps she'd leapt and fallen, hit her head. Even though she expects that it will miss the margarin as well as the name of the ship missed her earlier, "Have you ever heard of a place called Milliways?"

[do_your_duty]

That just gets him a wrinkled expression of aggrievance. Potentially about the terms utterly lost in translation, again. Or the constant ranting about things that made him seem far less sane, or sensible, the more he brought them up.



But.


Maybe.


Just maybe.


She lowers her pistol.


Which isn't to say she holsters it. Or looks like she's getting to that any second soon. Her fingers don't slip anywhere from their grip toward loose. She's not certain John should ever be the person trusted with what counts as a safe situation. But maybe he's been right once, or twice, before. If that. Or. Only that.

Enough that maybe she lowers it from straight in front of her, and is looking toward the person he gestured to and back to John, her tone starched even for admitting her might be right inside her head. Spinning that back on him for it. "Fine. Where do you think we start, then?"

[i_candozat]

"Zis is ze Enterprise," he says easily. "Da, of course. Is just not...ze same Enterprise I vas expecting."

[i_candozat]

One of those people is a very young Pavel Chekov, uniformed in his black and gold Starfleet regs, holding a clear pad on which there are several calculations.

This is not where he was supposed to be, that much is fairly obvious.

[bestwehave]

"It's strange, isn't it?"

There's another new arrival almost but not quite behind her (actually Kara deliberately stepped out of the woman's blind spot before talking). She's just removed the jacket of her expensive looking suit and is folding it up to put it on a table, just in case she needs the freedom of movement.

"I wonder if this is something that can be punched out of."

[bobbyprentice]

Bobby looks at the young man and takes in his uniform and the pad in his hand. He recognises the gold, of course - he's wearing a very similar shade himself - and the military stance, but the actual uniform is all wrong.

Is it old? Bobby's memories of Starfleet history are hazy at best.

"Excuse me," he says politely, approaching the man with some caution, "are you Starfleet?"

[home_fires_burning]

"Then you're one ahead of me. I wasn't expecting any Enterprise at all."

Not that she's complaining.

People can adapt to anything.

[therighttime]

Okay, Steph likes her already.

She glances over her shoulder with a small smile, but the crinkle in her eyes makes her amusement more obvious. There's nothing expensive or exclusive about Steph's outfit, high-waisted khaki slacks that flap at her ankles and button up the hip, a short-sleeved shirt with red and white stripes.

Her Nikes are a bit incongruous but she still hasn't gotten used to walking around, constantly on call, without proper shoes to run in. Just in case of emergency, you see. A call to work, a missed appointment. Alien invasion.

Whatever.

"Never know until you try," she points out to Kara.

[never_felt_better]

"Let me guess: a wormhole scooped you up and spit you out in uncharted space, right in the middle of Star Wars, and a living ship pulled your ass on board with the cast of Gilligan's Island, none of whom know where or what Earth is?" he ventures.

Oh no, wait, that's what happened to him. Still, it's as good a guess as any.

[never_felt_better]

He watches her, genuinely expecting her to holster her pistol for a few seconds before past experience catches up with him. Right. "Good enough."

He breathes out a puff, like maybe it'll disguise the sarcasm, and lets his arms relax. Funny how they're standing in a strange place filled with strange people, and the biggest threat he feels is coming from Aeryn. Maybe he's hit full capacity on the Weird-o-Meter, and nothing fazes him anymore. Or maybe he's kidding himself, and he trusts her more than he's willing to admit.

"Well," he says, setting his hands on his hips. "First we see if the communicators work, try to get D'Argo or Zhaan on the horn. Then we start asking questions. Since your people skills are fantastic, I should probably handle the questions while you work out the comms."

[mr_laforge]

"I can see that, lieutenant." Geordi can't say he remembers the junior officer's name, but they'll have to take things one problem at a time. "Who are all these people?"

And where did they all come from?

[mr_laforge]

Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge has a good sense of humor. He chuckles, tipping his head to one shoulder.

"I'm sorry to correct you, Ensign Chekov, but I know the navigator here pretty well and you're not him," he says, shaking the boy's hand. "Although... we have had some strange passengers lately. Tell me about your Enterprise."

[tea_earlgrey_hot]

Her answering remark makes him visibly uncomfortable, which is why he chooses not to comment further on it. It was a careless expression to use, a mistake he perhaps would not have made under better circumstances.

He clears his throat, and has a sip of tea.

"I will tell you all I know," he says. "Which, I am afraid, is not much. I imagine this is your first introduction to space travel. Are you familiar with the concept of alien species?"

[tea_earlgrey_hot]

She is presented with a teacup and saucer of a more modern make than she may be accustomed to, but as far as Picard is concerned they are fine pieces. The tea is Earl Grey, and it is brewed both strong and hot. With a simple gesture, he requests some milk and sugar from the woman tending to the bar.

"I'm afraid I have not. Though, judging from your expression, I may venture a guess that they don't have good tea there," he replies, smile faint. He, too, takes immense pleasure in a good cup of tea, and appreciates those who find it in them to smile as brightly as this woman over the same pleasures.

[she_listens]

The woman looks concerned.

"Tell me about your daughter. What's her name?"

She invites him to sit, still giving off a calming aura. Whether he takes her up on the offer or not, she's here to help.